FIG. 11 of this specification shows an example of a terminal fitting which is inserted within a connector housing provided with a retainer. This terminal fitting 1 consists of a box-shaped main body 2 provided at the anterior, and attaching members 3 for crimping electric wires provided at the posterior. When the terminal fitting 1 is in an inserted state within a cavity 5 of a connector housing 4, it is retained by a lance 5A which protrudes from an upper face of the cavity 5, and is doubly retained by a retainer 6 which is inserted from a lower face side of the cavity 5. The retainer 6 is provided with a stopping member 6A which is capable of engaging with a posterior side face 2A of the main body 2 of the terminal fitting 1. The retainer 6 can be attached to the connector housing 4 in a temporary stopping position, whereby the stopping member 6A is removed from the cavity 5 and the terminal fitting 1 can be inserted, and a main stopping position, whereby the retainer 6 is pressed inwards from the temporary stopping position and the stopping member 6A protrudes into the cavity 5 and retains the terminal fitting 1. This type of terminal fitting is described in JP 6-58570.
If the retainer 6 is pressed into the main stopping position when the terminal fitting 1 is in a half-inserted state, the stopping member 6A strikes against a lower face 2B of the main body 2 which faces the retainer 6. By this means, the retainer 6 remains in a protruding state and its movement is halted at a position short of its main stopping position. The protrusion of the retainer 6 allows one to detect that the terminal fitting 1 has been half inserted.
The protrusion of the retainer 6 can be ascertained visually. However, when the connector is small, the degree to which the retainer 6 protrudes is extremely small. Consequently, it is difficult to ascertain whether it is in the main stopping position, and the protrusion of the retainer 6 might not be noticed.
The present invention has been developed after taking the above problem into consideration, and aims to present a terminal fitting wherein a half-inserted state can reliably be detected by a retainer.